Features

Saturday was the first-ever Khan-Con, held at the Hillsville VFW Post 1115.

The comic book and pop culture convention was complete with card and roleplaying games, comic artists, a costume contest and vendors selling everything from masks to comic books to jewelry to Christmas ornaments.

SOMOTILLO, Nicaragua — A local ministry recently made a trip to lend assistance to and spread messages of love and hope to families in Nicaragua.

Since 2007, Cornerstone Community Church in Galax has partnered with Because We Care Ministries, and has made 13 trips to the remote northern part of Nicaragua, with more than 100 volunteer missionaries from the Twin Counties.

When tragedy strikes a community, it leaves a mark that can’t be seen.

The pictures of tragedy are all unique, but whether the scene is a house fire, an interstate crash, a community ravaged by a flood or tornado or a search for a missing child, numerous lives are exposed to emotional, spiritual and even physical stress as a result. Not only are victims impacted by the devastation, but also the community around them, and even first responders feel the ache of tragedy long after the fires are put out, the accidents are cleared, and the storms pass.

Mandy Archer and Grace Kirk are upstairs at Chestnut Creek School of the Arts, merrily sorting through a scrap box, trying to place out squares, strips and odd-shaped pieces of cloth left over from previous projects for further use.

FRIES — Although this year’s headcount for the Grayson County Relay for Life was small, the participants’ efforts were reflected in both their attitudes and the impressive amount of donations that were raised (almost $19,000) for the continuing fight against cancer.

According to Dreama Underwood, the event chair for the relay, four teams raised a total of $18,893.76, as of last Friday. Money was still coming in this week.

HILLSVILLE — Cosplay, Magic card tournaments, action figures, stormtroopers… all of these features may seem reminiscent of the almighty San Diego Comic-Con, a four-day event in California that fans of video games, comic books, fantasy characters and the like flock to by the thousands each year.

This event, and others like it across the country provide a safe haven for die-hard fans.

Galax hosted the 11th Annual Smoke on the Mountain state barbecue championship on July 17-18, with nearly 40 teams from all over the country competing, along with local cooks both amateur and professional.

In addition to the state championship, the cookoff is a qualifying event for two major barbecue circuits, and the grand champion also earns entry into the World Food Competition.

FRIES — A piece of local history was passed down to students at Fries School last month, when a local songwriter designed her own take on a locally-spun tale about a girl named Caty Sage.

According to the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum’s online exhibit, “The Ballad of Caty Sage” was originally a poem written in the 1930s by Eva Boyer of Carroll County, and was later set to music by J.C. Pierce of Galax. Pierce performed it at the 1940 Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention, and later recorded it on small commercial labels.

Bethany Welch, 19, the 2014-2015 Miss Carroll County (another one will be crowned this September) says she is excited to go compete in the National American Miss Pageant.

Welch is also a stylist and nail tech at Fifty Eight Salon in Woodlawn.

“One of the things I’m going to do is go compete in the top model and runway contests,” she said. “You go in and literally have a photo shoot with professionals, and you’re judged on how well you do. You can be scouted, you can win money, you can win scholarships.”

This year’s 11th Annual Smoke on the Mountain Virginia State Barbecue Championship looks to be another landmark competition.

This year’s contest is July 17-18 in downtown Galax. Teams from all over the country come to Galax to compete. For spectators, there’s live music and food vendors with barbecue (of course) and much more.

According to Twin County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Judy Brannock, this year’s competition has drawn upwards of 40 teams, the highest number of competitors since Smoke on the Mountain’s beginning.

Russian composer Pyotyr Illyich Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” is perhaps the best known ballet in the world.

Fraught, passionate, and dark by turns, it stands as both a cautionary tale about the dangers of reckless love and a testament of the human spirit’s ability to elevate the mundane into the realm of art.

FRIES — Equestrian and rodeo enthusiast Jamie Hyatt was honored with a dedication at the Providence School’s horse arena in Fries on May 3.

Now named the “Jamie Hyatt Arena,” the spot has become a second home to riders, and a venue for horse shows and rodeos that have grown in popularity over the past two years. Proceeds from events go to the Fries Volunteer Fire Department, and offer a fun escape for families and fellow equestrians of all ages.